Agent Dale Cooper and those peculiar folks of Twin Peaks are back after 25 years.

"Sadly, we did lose the Log Lady," says Kyle MacLachlan, the
actor who became a cultural icon as Agent Cooper when the original TV series
debuted in April 1990. The Log Lady (played by Catherine Coulson) may be gone, but MacLachlan and
much of the original cast returns this Sunday night, May 21, with 18 new episodes of Twin Peaks on Showtime.

MacLachlan's résumé includes Desperate Housewives, Portlandia, Sex and the City and the cult classic film Blue Velvet, but he's also known by our readers as the owner of Washington state's Pursued by
Bear wine label. The wines have received outstanding reviews from Wine Spectator
since the first release, 2005.

Recently, MacLachlan chatted with me about the new Twin Peaks and
what's ahead for Pursued by Bear. Even after more than 30 years in the
business, he essentially remains a good-hearted guy from eastern Washington.

It's easy to forget now, but in 1990 Twin Peaks was groundbreaking
TV. The Internet was still a pup and we didn't yet have 18 million TV
channels to distract us. Created by eccentric genius director David Lynch, it
was edgy and weird and funny and unpredictable and totally different from
anything that had been on TV. It laid the foundation for future shows like Lost, True Detective, American Horror Story and Stranger Things.

"Agent Cooper was probably my favorite
character I ever played," MacLachlan, 58, says. Fortuitously, many of
the exterior scenes for the original show were shot near his hometown of
Yakima. "Going back and putting on the suit and seeing all the people I haven't
seen for years. That, combined with working with David Lynch again—it was
exciting."

The new episodes were written by
cocreators Mark Frost and Lynch, who also directed. Considering how leaky
Hollywood can be, the updated Twin Peaks has been shrouded in secrecy. MacLachlan
is forbidden to reveal anything, but has this to offer: "This is not a return
to Twin Peaks. It has new stories to tell and new places to go." There are
new, younger cast members along with the original players.

MacLachlan credits director Lynch for launching his movie
career and his interest in wine. MacLachlan was doing theater in his home state
when Lynch chose him for the lead in 1984's Dune. It turned out to be a
big-budget dud at the box office but it established MacLachlan.

During production of Dune, the director gave MacLachlan a
bottle of Lynch Bages. "Drinking this wine caused me to
re-evaluate everything I knew about wine," MacLachlan said in a 2008
Wine Spectator interview.

As his passion for wine grew, he decided to make his own and
joined with winemaker Eric Dunham of Dunham Cellars to launch Pursued by Bear under the Dunham Maclachlan label. Following Dunham's death in
2014, MacLachlan has been considering the future of the brand.

"What started as a hobby has sort of
become a small business," MacLachlan says. "It kind of stood up and said, 'Here
I am!'"

MacLachlan trusted Dunham with every
aspect of the business, but has taken on a stronger role since his passing. His
winemaker is Dan Wampfler, formerly of Dunham and now with Abeja. For now, MacLachlan
says, the wine will continue to be made at Dunham but that could change.

Beginning with the 2014 vintage, the
Dunham Maclachlan name will be dropped and the label will just be Pursued
by Bear. "I felt like more than anything, the brand needed its own identity,"
MacLachlan says.

I hope he keeps making wine, because
they're always impressive. As for Twin Peaks, I can't wait, but one thing's
for sure: I'm stocking up on donuts.